News Feed for Whitney Radley - CultureMaphttp://houston.culturemap.com/feeds/author/whitney_radley/2013-07-25T09:03:46-05:00Young curators take on the big leagues with do it: houston, an experimental pop-up exhibition2013-07-25T09:03:46-05:00Whitney Radleyhttp://houston.culturemap.com/news/entertainment/07-25-13-young-curators-take-on-the-big-leagues-with-ido-it-houstoni-an-experimental-pop-up-exhibition/
<img src="/thumbnail/350x350/photos/2013/07/24/do-it-houston-logo_181901.jpg" alt="" class="right" style="float: right; margin: 0 0 1em 1em;" align="right" hspace="15"/>
<p>
Most art world aficionados would consider it risky for a pair of fledgling curators to organize their first group show without any real indication of how the final product would turn out. For an established artist to agree to participate in such an experimental show by virtually unknown curators is similarly unusual. And for a new gallery to agree to host said show is practically unheard of.</p>
<p>
But all of these factors will be in place at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/211078412373829/"><em>do it: houston</em></a>, a two day pop-up exhibition at <a href="http://alabamasonghouston.com/">Alabama Song Art Space</a> on Friday and Saturday. The idea comes from young, enthusiastic <a href="http://camh.org/">Contemporary Arts Museum Houston</a> colleagues Max Fields and Olivia Junell, who have brought together 27 contemporary Houston artists to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Hans Ulrich Obrist&#39;s first <em>do it</em> show.</p>
<p>
That famed Swiss curator first conceived of the open-ended experiment in which artists follow &quot;scores,&quot; or written instructions from other artists, as a point of departure for creating their own works. Since 1993, hundreds of artists have taken part in exhibitions spanning more than 50 cities, but the concept has never been attempted in Houston until now.</p>
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Fields told CultureMap that he carried <a href="http://www.amazon.com/books/dp/1938922018"><em>do it: the compendium</em></a>, a recently-released tome that accumulates scores from more than by 200 artists by the likes of Yoko Ono and David Lynch, in his bag for weeks before approaching Junell with his idea to replicate it in his hometown.</p>
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&quot;It has all been a grand experiment,&quot; explained Junell, who was immediately on board, along with Gabriel Martinez, the director of Alabama Song.</p>
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The curators invited area artists from all stages of their careers to partake in the exhibition in hopes of getting a broad picture of Houston&#39;s contemporary scene, and they were overwhelmed at the enthusiastic response. Among the confirmed participants are artists as varied as painter&nbsp;<a href="http://www.rachelhecker.net">Rachel Hecker</a>, Joseph Havel, a modernist sculptor and the director of the Glassell School of Art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and poet Ronnie Yates.</p>
<p>
Each selected a score from the book, and some picked a few. The resulting interpretations have taken the form of photographs, paintings, sculpture, videos, performances and installations.</p>
<p>
Junell said that the artists&#39; inhibitions in fulfilling the project have surprised her. &quot;Oddly, the presence of a set of rules or instructions seems to allow many of the artists more freedom than they might find in their normal practice.&quot;</p>
<p>
&quot;The idea that anyone could pick up a book and follow instructions to make instant art is pretty antithetical to our long-held notions labor, price and exchange in art making/viewing,&quot; said <a href="http://laurenmoyaford.blogspot.com/">Lauren Moya Ford</a>, a MFA candidate at the University of Houston and an artist in the show. &quot;[For] me, the idea of enacting someone else&#39;s idea is liberating. Why wouldn&#39;t you do something completely out of your comfort zone, foreign to your mode or process?&quot;</p>
<p>
Visual artist <a href="https://www.debrabarrera.com">Debra Barrera</a> echoed the sentiment. &quot;Working on my scores for <em>do it: houston</em> felt like letting people in to a no strings attached version of the art I make day to day.&quot;</p>
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<em><strong>An <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/211078412373829/">opening reception</a> will take place at Alabama Song Art Space on Friday from 6 to 9:30 p.m., with further performances on Saturday from 1 to 4:30 p.m. </strong></em></p>
Sweet: One of America's top pastry chefs is opening a new bakery in Houston2013-07-15T11:09:16-05:00Whitney Radleyhttp://houston.culturemap.com/news/restaurants-bars/07-15-13-sweet-one-of-americas-top-pasrty-chefs-is-opening-a-new-bakery-in-houston/
<img src="/thumbnail/350x350/photos/2013/07/12/Roy-Shvartzapel-pastry-chef-RUN-FLAT_110523.jpg" alt="" class="right" style="float: right; margin: 0 0 1em 1em;" align="right" hspace="15"/>
<p>
It won&#39;t be just any bakery that <a href="http://houston.culturemap.com/news/realestate/04-26-13-a-new-late-night-restaurant-is-rising-on-lower-westheimer-and-a-boutique-could-be-moving-to-join-it/">opens up</a> at the corner of Westheimer and Dunlavy later this year. It will be a bakery helmed by Houston native Roy Shvartzapel, who was recently named one of the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/regina-varolli/pastry-chefs-america_b_3562789.html">Top 10 Pastry Chefs in America</a>.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
That distinction comes from <em><a href="http://dessertprofessional.com/index.php">Dessert Professional</a></em>, an industry magazine that recognized the country&#39;s top pastry artists at an&nbsp;awards ceremony at the Institute for Culinary Education in New York.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
The 3,600-square-foot restaurant from Shvartzapel and business partner Brad Sanders &mdash; a Houston lawyer with a culinary background &mdash; will be called <a href="http://wearecommonbond.com/">Common Bond</a>&nbsp;(<a href="http://www.corporationwiki.com/Texas/Houston/s3gg-operations-1-llc/107891119.aspx">Leaven and Earth</a>, the name <a href="http://houston.culturemap.com/news/realestate/04-26-13-a-new-late-night-restaurant-is-rising-on-lower-westheimer-and-a-boutique-could-be-moving-to-join-it/">initially reported</a>&nbsp;when CultureMap&nbsp;first broke the news of the bakery in April, was a working title) and will serve&nbsp;pastries, fresh bread, gelato and savory sandwiches late into the night, with a full barista and a beer and wine menu.</p>
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<span style="display: none; ">&nbsp;</span>&quot;It will be a chef-driven approach to casual dining.&quot;<span style="display: none; ">&nbsp;</span></p>
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<p>
&quot;It will be a chef-driven approach to casual dining,&quot; Sanders tells&nbsp;CultureMap, noting his plans for a professional bread program that doesn&#39;t currently exist in Houston. &quot;We wanted to be a neighborhood place.&quot;</p>
<p>
Common Bond will have <a href="http://www.spacemontrose.com/">Space Montrose</a> &mdash; the locally-sourced boutique and gallery currently tucked behind&nbsp;<a href="http://cafe-brasil.net">Brasil</a>&nbsp;&mdash; as its next door neighbor. Owners Leila and Carlos&nbsp;Peraza are seeking help with the build-out of that new spot through an <a href="http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/space-montrose-handmade-in-the-usa?c=home">Indiegogo&nbsp;campaign</a>, and are aiming to reopen a few steps down Dunlavy by December.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
Sanders said that Common Bond is aiming for a November opening at the latest. Stay tuned to the bakery&#39;s <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Common-Bond/499605910087834">Facebook</a> and <a href="http://twitter.com/wearecommonbond">Twitter</a>&nbsp;for updates.</p>
John Mayer hits the town in Houston — brings security entourage to high-end restaurant, makes bar plans2013-07-12T12:59:25-05:00Whitney Radleyhttp://houston.culturemap.com/news/city-life/07-12-13-john-mayer-hits-the-town-in-houston-brings-security-entourage-to-high-end-restaurant-makes-bar-plans/
<img src="/thumbnail/350x350/photos/2013/07/12/John-Mayer-in-Kansas-City-in-concert-with-guitar-July-2013_105155.jpg" alt="" class="right" style="float: right; margin: 0 0 1em 1em;" align="right" hspace="15"/>
<p>
How did John Mayer prepare for his&nbsp;<a href="http://concerts.livenation.com/event/0C004A766F723CB7?artistid=770494&amp;majorcatid=10001&amp;minorcatid=1">sold-out</a>&nbsp;Friday night concert&nbsp;at the&nbsp;Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion?&nbsp;</p>
<p>
The heartthrob singer-songwriter and his underdressed entourage enjoyed dinner in a private dining area at the high-end&nbsp;<a href="http://damarcohouston.com">Da Marco</a> on Thursday night, a witness tells CultureMap.</p>
<p>
No, Katy Perry &mdash; Mayer&#39;s main squeeze since last August &mdash; wasn&#39;t on his arm, but don&#39;t think that means the power couple is off again: At the first stop of his &quot;Born and Raised World Tour&quot; in Milwaukee last Saturday, <a href="http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20715113,00.html">Mayer dedicated</a> &quot;<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cykEwT7JrUU">A Face to Call Home</a>&quot; to the pop princess.</p>
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Rumor has it that the group wanted to move on to Anvil Bar &amp; Refuge following their after-dinner prosecco at Da Marco, but the singer&#39;s security detail determined that it would be too conspicuous. Their Plan B was the more subdued&nbsp;<a href="http://www.saintgen.com">Saint Genevieve</a>&nbsp;in West Ave, where a source spotted Mayer and his group at a back corner table, sipping specialty drinks.&nbsp;</p>
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Mayer will move on and&nbsp;<a href="http://dallas.culturemap.com/news/entertainment/07-11-13-john-mayer-phillip-phillips-fifty-shades-grey-best-weekend-events/">take his tour</a> to the&nbsp;Gexa Energy Pavilion in Dallas on Saturday.</p>
Art that breaks up the office grind: FotoFest takes on the workday with "Really Short Tours"2013-07-12T09:49:00-05:00Whitney Radleyhttp://houston.culturemap.com/news/entertainment/07-12-13-art-that-breaks-up-the-office-grind-fotofest-takes-on-the-workday-with-really-short-tours/
<img src="/thumbnail/350x350/photos/2013/07/11/Ian-Teh-Miners.-Datong-Shanxi-2006--2008_171755.jpg" alt="" class="right" style="float: right; margin: 0 0 1em 1em;" align="right" hspace="15"/>
<p>
If you squint through the swarm of lunch hour crowds at the&nbsp;<a href="http://brookfieldofficeproperties.com/content/houston/allen_center-8392.html">Allen Center</a>, you&#39;ll likely spot dedicated exhibition spaces full of work by international artists. But finding time to&nbsp;closely examine those pieces? That would mean taking precious hours out of your workday.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
But you can&#39;t use that excuse anymore:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.fotofest.org">FotoFest</a>, Houston&#39;s nonprofit photographic arts and education organization, is introducing &quot;<a href="http://houston.culturemap.com/eventdetail/art-opening-receptions-fotofest-discoveries/">Really Short Tours</a>&quot; as a way to engage building employees with the artwork over a midday break.</p>
<p>
&quot;FotoFest&nbsp;Discoveries,&quot; an exhibition supported by <a href="http://www.artsbrookfield.com">Arts Brookfield</a> featuring 15 contemporary artists and spanning four galleries (in One, Two and Three Allen Center and at 1600 Smith), will open on Monday and run through Sept. 27.&nbsp;FotoFest&#39;s&nbsp;curators promise to fill you in on a few key photographs and get you back on your way in 10 minutes tops.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
When else will you have the chance to sip a smoothie while seeing the effects of coal mining in China through the lens of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ianteh.com//index.php">Ian&nbsp;Teh</a>? Or learn about albinism in Africa from the perspective of European photographer <a href="http://www.patrickgries.com">Patrick Gries</a>&nbsp;on the way to snag a sandwich?&nbsp;FotoFest spokesperson Vinod Hopson tells CultureMap that there&#39;s something for everyone in this lineup.</p>
<p>
&quot;Discovery is a value of ours &mdash; discovering artwork and ideas, taking people out to discover the city,&quot;&nbsp;Hopson says. &quot;Art in a corporate space is part of that.&quot;&nbsp;</p>
<p>
<em><strong>FotoFest will hold two opening receptions for the show, at noon on July 17 at Two Allen Center and at noon on July 22 at 1600 Smith. &quot;Really Short Tours&quot; will start at noon on July 18 at One Allen Center; Aug. 1 at Two Allen Center; Aug. 15 at Three Allen Center; and Aug. 29 and Sept. 5 at 1600 Smith.&nbsp;</strong></em></p>
Texas loses its No. 1 state for business ranking due to quality of life issues: Rick Perry must be irate2013-07-11T14:15:06-05:00Whitney Radleyhttp://houston.culturemap.com/news/city-life/07-11-13-texas-loses-its-no-1-state-for-business-ranking-due-to-quality-of-life-issues-rick-perry-must-be-irate/
<img src="/thumbnail/350x350/photos/2013/07/11/Texas-State-Capitol-in-Austin-at-dusk_125858.jpg" alt="" class="right" style="float: right; margin: 0 0 1em 1em;" align="right" hspace="15"/>
<p>
Gov. Rick Perry has touted, over and over and over again, the dominance of Texas as a business-friendly state, but&nbsp;South Dakota has edged us out for the top spot in&nbsp;<a href="http://www.cnbc.com/id/100824779">America&#39;s Top&nbsp;States for Business 2013</a>&nbsp;ranking by CNBC. Texas took No. 2 on the annual list, with North Dakota at No. 3 for business nationwide.</p>
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<span style="display: none; ">&nbsp;</span>Texas ranks No. 41 among the 50 states in that category, which takes&nbsp;into account crime, local attractions, environmental quality and health care.<span style="display: none; ">&nbsp;</span></p>
</blockquote>
<p>
The Lone Star State held the highest honor in 2008, 2010 and 2012 &mdash; some of the worst years of the Great Recession &mdash; but CNBC <a href="http://www.cnbc.com/id/100873259">points to</a>&nbsp;the state&#39;s low score on its Quality of Life index for its waning prominence.&nbsp;Texas ranks No. 41 among the 50 states in that category, which takes&nbsp;into account crime, local attractions, environmental quality and health care.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
More than <a href="http://www.gallup.com/poll/161153/texas-uninsured-rate-moves-further-away-states.aspx">28 percent</a> of Texas residents are uninsured, a rate that will not improve anytime soon with <a href="http://governor.state.tx.us/files/press-office/O-SebeliusKathleen201207090024.pdf">Perry&#39;s refusal</a> of Medicaid expansion and state insurance exchanges. Those measures would have rendered <a href="http://www.cbpp.org/files/healthtoolkit2012/Texas.pdf">more than 1.7 million residents</a> eligible for health care coverage.</p>
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Another factor affecting the Texas decline is the high cost of doing business, partly due to the high price of utilities and rent. The state&#39;s strong economy, stable infrastructure and high score for technology and innovation keep it afloat.&nbsp;</p>
Is Willowbrook Mall becoming a fashionista destination? New stores are raising the bar2013-07-11T11:08:28-05:00Whitney Radleyhttp://houston.culturemap.com/news/fashion/07-11-13-is-willowbrook-mall-becoming-a-fashionista-destination-new-stores-are-raising-the-bar/
<img src="/thumbnail/350x350/photos/2009-12-08/Nordstrm_Rack_exterior_day_sign.jpg" alt="" class="right" style="float: right; margin: 0 0 1em 1em;" align="right" hspace="15"/>
<p>
Willowbrook Mall is fast becoming a fashionista&nbsp;destination, with H&amp;M opening its second (and largest) area store there last summer and another fashion-forward retailer on the way.</p>
<p>
Earlier this week, Nordstrom, Inc. <a href="http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=211996&amp;p=irol-newsArticle&amp;ID=1836220&amp;highlight=">revealed plans</a> to open a 38,000 square foot <a href="http://shop.nordstrom.com/c/nordstrom-rack">Nordstrom Rack</a>&nbsp;at the northwest Houston mall. The Seattle-based company has been rapidly expanding its off-price retail division, which offers 30 to 70 percent off designer clothing, accessories and shoes.&nbsp;</p>
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The Nordstrom Rack at <a href="http://www.shopwillowbrookmall.com">Willowbrook Mall</a> &mdash; the third such store in the Houston area &mdash; is scheduled to open in fall 2014.&nbsp;</p>
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&quot;We&#39;ve been looking for opportunities to better serve Houston customers as we continue to grow,&quot; Geevy Thomas, president of Nordstrom Rack, said in a statement. &quot;We are grateful for the great response to our Rack stores at Post Oak and in Sugar Land, and are eager for the chance to earn our customers&#39; business in North Houston at Willowbrook Mall.&quot;</p>
Beyonce hysteria prompts Houston stores to offer special concert deals as hot night approaches2013-07-11T07:04:00-05:00Whitney Radleyhttp://houston.culturemap.com/news/fashion/07-11-13-beyonce-hysteria-prompts-houston-stores-to-offer-special-deals-as-hot-concert-approaches/
<img src="/thumbnail/350x350/photos/2013/05/23/Beyonce-in-concert-with-fans_104447.jpg" alt="" class="right" style="float: right; margin: 0 0 1em 1em;" align="right" hspace="15"/>
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Any true Beyonc&eacute; fan has already stocked up on crop tops and leather booty shorts and&nbsp;taken a couple of personal half-days in anticipation of her <a href="http://www.houstontoyotacenter.com/events/detail/beyonce">Houston appearance</a>&nbsp;Monday night.</p>
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If you&#39;ve waited &#39;til the last minute to gear up for Queen Bey&#39;s hometown return, the tenants at <a href="http://greenstreetdowntown.com">GreenStreet</a> &mdash; the&nbsp;downtown mixed-use destination formerly known as Houston Pavilions &mdash; have you covered with specials and deals within walking distance of the Toyota Center.&nbsp;</p>
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Swing by Forever 21 and&nbsp;BCBGMAXAZRIA&nbsp;after work to stock up on glitz and glitter, body con dresses and stilettos, because you&nbsp;<em>know</em>&nbsp;that Beyonce&#39;s fans will be <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XY3AvVgDns">dressing to the nines</a>&nbsp;for this one. <a href="http://greenstreetdowntown.com/directory/bcbgmaxazria">The latter</a> will offer 20 percent off and stylists to get you Sasha Fierce-ready.</p>
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<span style="display: none; ">&nbsp;</span>Any true&nbsp;Beyonc&eacute;&nbsp;fan has already stocked up on crop tops and leather booty shorts.&nbsp;<span style="display: none; ">&nbsp;</span></p>
</blockquote>
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Have a pre-dinner drink and bite at <a href="http://greenstreetdowntown.com/directory/andalucia-tapas-restaurant-and-bar">Andalucia Tapas Restaurant &amp; Bar</a>,&nbsp;which will serve $5 Smirnoff&nbsp;Sorbet Lite Vodka martinis from 3 to 7 p.m., plus happy hour food specials under $5, or <a href="http://greenstreetdowntown.com/directory/mia-bella-trattoria">Mia Bella Trattoria</a>,&nbsp;offering $3 Bellinis, house wines, mimosas, house martinis and well drinks from 4 p.m. to close, with a wallet-friendly happy hour antipasti menu with plenty of carbs for a night of dancing.</p>
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Also offering deals are <a href="http://greenstreetdowntown.com/directory/lucky-strike-lanes">Lucky Strike</a> (with $3 domestic drafts, $4 well drinks, $5 house wine and a special $4 food menu for those who flash their tickets),&nbsp;<a href="http://greenstreetdowntown.com/directory/guadalajara-del-centro">Guadalajara del Centro</a>&nbsp;(with $4 tapas and drink specials from 2 to 7 p.m.), <a href="http://greenstreetdowntown.com/directory/mccormick-schmicks-seafood-restaurant">McCormick &amp; Schmick&#39;s</a> (with bar bites starting at $2.95 from 3:30 to 7 p.m.), <a href="http://greenstreetdowntown.com/directory/iii-forks-steakhouse">III Forks</a> (for $5 martinis) and <a href="http://greenstreetdowntown.com/directory/crossroads-at-house-of-blues">Crossroads at House of Blues</a>&nbsp;(with $3 select beers, $4 house wines, $5 blood orange margaritas and $5 appetizers from 3 to 7 p.m.)</p>
Houston high school to be turned into a luxury mixed-use development? Bidding war winner emerging 2013-07-10T12:56:19-05:00Whitney Radleyhttp://houston.culturemap.com/news/real-estate/07-10-13-houston-high-school-to-be-turned-into-a-luxury-mixed-use-development-bidding-war-winner-seems-to-be-emerging/
<img src="/thumbnail/350x350/photos/2013/06/03/High-School-ForLaw-Enforcement-and-Criminal-Justice-building-and-sign-Houston_132940.jpg" alt="" class="right" style="float: right; margin: 0 0 1em 1em;" align="right" hspace="15"/>
<p>
The bidding war is coming to a close for the Houston Independent School District&#39;s <a href="http://www.houstonisd.org/HSLECJ">High School for Law Enforcement &amp; Criminal Justice</a> campus, which <a href="http://houston.culturemap.com/news/realestate/06-04-13-a-houston-high-school-goes-up-for-sale-putting-a-prime-chunk-of-real-estate-on-the-market/">went on the market</a> earlier this summer.</p>
<p>
Will HISD select the $42 million bid from <a href="http://sths.org">St. Thomas High School</a>, the adjacent all-boys Catholic school looking to increase the footprint of its 17-acre campus? Perhaps not, <a href="http://www.theleadernews.com/?p=10795">The Leader speculates</a>, since St. Thomas officials aim to charge HISD $225,000 each month over the next five years while the high school finds a new home.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
Although the $41,121,411.11&nbsp;offer from AV Dickson Street, LLC appears to be less on the front end, the investment firm promised to lease back the school to HISD for just $100,000 per month &mdash; which could mean a savings of $7.5 million for HISD in the long run.</p>
<p>
Plus, as The Leader notes, the sale of the property to a non-educational entity would put the prime 10.9-acre plot back on the tax rolls to funnel an additional $450,000 per year (or more) into the district&#39;s coffers.&nbsp;</p>
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The group behind AV Dickson Street, which closed on the nearby <a href="http://goo.gl/maps/aj6HU">Bayou Park apartment complex</a>&nbsp;at 4400 Memorial Drive in April, is looking to &quot;create a 26-acre mixed-use luxury retail-office-residential development on the combined properties&quot; over the next decade, according to The Leader.&nbsp;</p>
AstroWorld times six: Construction on new Houston theme park begins — and its size is already expanding2013-07-10T11:57:47-05:00Whitney Radleyhttp://houston.culturemap.com/news/real-estate/07-10-13-astroworld-times-six-construction-on-new-houston-theme-park-begins-and-its-size-is-already-expanding/
<img src="/thumbnail/350x350/photos/2013/07/09/Grand-Texas-Theme-Park-coming-soon-with-rollercoaster_081810.jpg" alt="" class="right" style="float: right; margin: 0 0 1em 1em;" align="right" hspace="15"/>
<p>
One can almost hear the roar of a roller coaster on the New Caney property where Grand Texas Theme Park will soon sprawl . . . but don&#39;t get ahead of yourself &mdash; it&#39;s just the hum of bulldozers</p>
<p>
Site work is already underway on the heavily-wooded land off of Highway 59 and FM 242, according to the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2013/07/09/grand-texas-theme-park-underway.html?page=all">Business Journal</a>. After several years of looking for the right spot, investors finalized the purchase from IBC Bank as previously&nbsp;<a href="http://houston.culturemap.com/news/realestate/07-08-13-astroworld-replacement-is-no-longer-a-pipe-dream-new-205-million-houston-theme-park-gets-its-land/">reported by</a> CultureMap.</p>
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<span style="display: none; ">&nbsp;</span>&quot;I&#39;m the guy that&#39;s remembered as the one that tore down the Texas Cyclone.&nbsp;I&#39;d like to leave a different legacy, actually.&quot;<span style="display: none; ">&nbsp;</span></p>
</blockquote>
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What exactly will take form over the next two years remains to be determined. Chuck Hendrix, a&nbsp;former AstroWorld&nbsp;general manager who will run Grand Texas under the banner of Innovation Leisure Partners, told the HBJ that the park&#39;s amenities &mdash; which already include a water park, several hotels and a petting zoo &mdash; are &quot;expanding daily.&quot;</p>
<p>
&quot;I&#39;m the guy that&#39;s remembered as the one that tore down the Texas Cyclone,&quot; Hendrix said in an <a href="http://m.click2houston.com/news/former-astroworld-gm-at-helm-of-new-theme-park-grand-texas/-/16714936/20889098/-/r28hjy/-/index.html">interview with KPRC</a>. &quot;I&#39;d like to leave a different legacy, actually.&quot;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
<p>
Brae Burn Construction Company has been selected to work on the theme park&#39;s next phase, which will break ground this fall for an anticipated completion in the spring of 2015. Dallas-based&nbsp;<a href="http://gha-architects.com">GHA Architects</a>, led by principal Bob Runyon, is the designer designer on the project.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
&quot;We have enough acreage to keep us busy for a while,&quot; Hendrix said of the 640-acre plot &mdash; about six times the size of&nbsp;AstroWorld&#39;s footprint. Construction will take place in phases over the next 10 years.&nbsp;</p>
A doctor bank robber? Another costumed criminal pulls off a grocery store heist2013-07-10T09:45:07-05:00Whitney Radleyhttp://houston.culturemap.com/news/city-life/07-10-13-a-doctor-bank-robber-another-costumed-criminal-pulls-off-a-grocery-store-heist/
<img src="/thumbnail/350x350/photos/2013/07/09/Houston-bank-robber-in-doctor-scrubs-July-2013-4-WHITE-BACKGROUND_114023.jpg" alt="" class="right" style="float: right; margin: 0 0 1em 1em;" align="right" hspace="15"/>
<p>
Gone are the days when bank robbers could be spotted by their <a href="http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Arts/Arts_/Pictures/2010/6/24/1277397478304/A-bank-robber-in-traditio-004.jpg">striped getup</a> or pantyhose-smashed faces. Anyone could be preparing a heist . . . Even the middle-aged man in medical scrubs who seems to be nonchalantly shopping for groceries.</p>
<p>
That&#39;s the profile of a man who robbed money from a Wells Fargo Bank inside of a Houston&nbsp;H-E-B&nbsp;store at 11815&nbsp;Westheimer&nbsp;at approximately 1:45 p.m. on Monday.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
According to <a href="http://www.fbi.gov/houston/press-releases/2013/robbery-of-wells-fargo-bank-branch-inside-heb-store-in-houston">FBI officials</a>, the robber &mdash; described as a heavyset black male between 5-foot-10&quot; and 6-foot-1 and aged between 45 and 50 years old, with a receding hairline and navy blue scrubs &mdash; handed the teller a note demanding cash and threatening to have a weapon. Cash in hand, he absconded&nbsp;with his spoils in a blue-gray Ford Taurus.</p>
<p>
Crime Stoppers is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the charge and arrest of the bank robber. Call the local tip line at (713) 222-TIPS, or the Houston office of the FBI at (713) 693-5000, with information.</p>
Houston's newest wine bar is a playground of good drinks: Cool, not pretentious2013-07-09T17:07:03-05:00Whitney Radleyhttp://houston.culturemap.com/news/restaurants-bars/07-09-13-houstons-newest-wine-bar-is-a-playground-of-good-drinks-cool-not-pretentious/
<img src="/thumbnail/350x350/photos/2013/07/09/Camerata-Houston-wine-bar-July-2013-bar_144123.jpg" alt="" class="right" style="float: right; margin: 0 0 1em 1em;" align="right" hspace="15"/>
<p>
Biking home at dusk from opening night at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.pauliesrestaurant.com/camerata/">Camerata</a>,&nbsp;it crossed my mind that the Montrose wine bar might become my new favorite neighborhood hangout. That distinction was cemented over an earthy&nbsp;ros&eacute;&nbsp;during happy hour on Monday night.</p>
<p>
The wine bar was conceived as the professional playground of David Keck, who got his start with&nbsp;wine about five years ago at&nbsp;Cova before working on the bar programs at Stella Sola and Uchi. He received his Advance Sommelier Certification last October, and was soon after approached by Paul Petronella&nbsp;&mdash; who&#39;d had an eye on the vacant spot next to&nbsp;<a href="http://pauliesrestaurant.com">Paulie&#39;s&nbsp;Restaurant</a>&nbsp;&mdash; about opening his own place.</p>
<p>
It took just about as long for interior designer&nbsp;<a href="http://www.gindesigns.com/home.html">Gin&nbsp;Braverman</a>&nbsp;to outfit the space at 1830 Westheimer&nbsp;with cowhide rugs, hairpin leg tables, leather sofas and a tiled bar backsplash&nbsp;as it did for Keck to develop the wine list, his first from the ground up. He told CultureMap that they were trying to do the same thing with both the decor and the menu: Bring it back to the basics. The effect is just the right amount of cool, without pretension.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
&quot;What I think the world needs is more wine that comes from specific places and tastes like the places they come from,&quot; says&nbsp;Keck, who tells&nbsp;CultureMap that he selected classic wines from classic regions before filling in the menu with &quot;odd balls&quot; to &quot;keep things interesting.&quot;&nbsp;</p>
<blockquote class="pull-quote">
<p>
<span style="display: none; ">&nbsp;</span>Keck&nbsp;selected classic wines from classic regions before filling in the menu with &quot;odd balls&quot; to &quot;keep things interesting.&quot;&nbsp;<span style="display: none; ">&nbsp;</span></p>
</blockquote>
<p>
The &quot;Beverages by the Glass&quot; menu consists of a handful of reds, a handful of wines, a few bubbles and few ros&eacute;s. About a third of the menu is changed out each day, and happy hour means half off&nbsp;on sips and glasses from bottles opened the previous night.</p>
<p>
Also on the menu are a handful of beers, which&nbsp;Keck&nbsp;assembled with the same philosophy, choosing Old World, traditional styles from traditional regions &mdash; think&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/orval/835/">Orval</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/ayinger-brau-weisse/2716/">Ayinger&nbsp;Brau-Weisse</a>&nbsp;&mdash; all in large-format bottles.</p>
<p>
&quot;We like to share a bottle of wine, so why not the same approach to beer?&quot; he says.</p>
<p>
Keck acknowledged that craft brews are already well-represented around Houston, but he will keep a couple of local beers on tap and rotate them out often. The sparse food menu is also local, with salami and cheese selections sourced by&nbsp;<a href="http://www.houstondairymaids.com">Houston Dairymaids</a>. A selection of four costs $25 or all eight costs $45, and it&#39;s ideal&nbsp;for enjoyment at the long wooden community table or at the poured concrete bar.</p>
<p>
That bar (big enough for personal consultation by the well-trained staff) and a swiveling lamp at the end (touch-activated to facilitate blind tastings at night) were the only two elements that Keck insisted upon incorporating into the design. They&#39;re crucial for the educational component that he&#39;s hoping to bring into the space.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
&quot;We&#39;ve already seen a huge amount of support from the sommelier community,&quot; says&nbsp;Keck, who has brought together a talented team for the Camerata staff.&nbsp;&quot;I feel pretty strongly that the people who pour your wine should know a lot about it.&quot;</p>
<p>
<strong><em>Camerata will be open from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. daily. Parking is available behind Paulie&#39;s&nbsp;or after 6 p.m. in the lot behind <a href="http://www.southlandhardware.com">Southland Hardware</a> on Morse Street.&nbsp;</em></strong></p>
Beach price hike: Galveston is ending its free parking (for real this time!) 2013-07-09T14:25:46-05:00Whitney Radleyhttp://houston.culturemap.com/news/travel/07-09-13-beach-price-hike-galveston-is-ending-its-free-parking-for-real-this-time/
<img src="/thumbnail/350x350/photos/2013/05/22/Galveston-Seawall-cars-parking-Pleasure-Pier_085610.jpg" alt="" class="right" style="float: right; margin: 0 0 1em 1em;" align="right" hspace="15"/>
<p>
Island life may mean fresh salty air and daily boogie boarding, but it isn&#39;t exempt from parking woes &mdash; a fact that is coming&nbsp;to light as parking signs go up along Seawall Boulevard in Galveston.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
Voters approved a measure for paid parking in May 2011, and <a href="http://www.khou.com/news/neighborhood-news/Condo-owners-demand-police-toilets-parking-fees--214641601.html">KHOU Ch. 11 News is reporting</a> that the signs are currently being installed for the <a href="http://paybyphone.com">PayByPhone</a> system that could go into effect as early as August.</p>
<p>
The meter-free system will charge visitors $1 per hour to park along the beachfront street for up to eight hours at a time, with proceeds going to pay for beach clean up and public restrooms. (For reference, that&#39;s half the price of a <a href="http://www.pleasurepier.com/policies.html">full day in the lot</a> across from the Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier.)&nbsp;Galveston Police chief Henry Porretto told KHOU&nbsp;that frequent beach-goers may also opt to purchase a&nbsp;$25 parking pass.</p>
<p>
Residents who live on nearby streets are concerned that visitors may drift into the neighborhoods to find free parking &mdash; or worse, skip Galveston&#39;s beaches altogether.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
Watch KHOU&#39;s <a href="http://www.khou.com/news/neighborhood-news/Condo-owners-demand-police-toilets-parking-fees--214641601.html">full report</a> below:&nbsp;</p>
<script src="http://www.khou.com/templates/belo_embedWrapper.js?storyid=214641601&pos=top&swfw=470"></script>
<p>
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AstroWorld replacement is no longer a pipe dream: New $205 million Houston theme park gets its land2013-07-08T18:04:00-05:00Whitney Radleyhttp://houston.culturemap.com/news/real-estate/07-08-13-astroworld-replacement-is-no-longer-a-pipe-dream-new-205-million-houston-theme-park-gets-its-land/
<img src="/thumbnail/350x350/photos/2013/02/20/Grand_Texas_Theme_Park_rendering_THIS.jpg" alt="" class="right" style="float: right; margin: 0 0 1em 1em;" align="right" hspace="15"/>
<p>
Skeptics might have initially written off plans for <a href="http://www.grandtx.com/">Grand Texas Theme Park</a>, with its <a href="http://houston.culturemap.com/news/city_life/04-09-13-grand-texas-theme-park-plans-to-sign-on-property-next-month-doesnt-want-to-compete-with-disneyland/">equine mascot</a>, its zip line dreams and its petting zoo splendor, but the pipe dream seems to be moving forward.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
Investors, headed up by developer Monty Galland, officially closed on approximately 600 acres near the <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/flying-j-travel-plaza-new-caney">Flying J Travel Plaza</a> in New Caney&nbsp;as first reported by&nbsp;<a href="http://blog.chron.com/primeproperty/2013/07/developers-close-on-land-for-new-caney-theme-park/">Prime Property</a>. (CultureMap&nbsp;was <a href="http://houston.culturemap.com/news/city_life/02-20-13-new-theme-park-near-houston-plans-to-bring-roller-coasters-and-cow-milking-together/">first to write</a> about the proposed park back on Feb. 20). Now construction is expected to begin on the theme park later this year for a projected completion in the spring of 2015.</p>
<blockquote class="pull-quote">
<p>
<span style="display: none; ">&nbsp;</span>&quot;Never before have you had a major theme park depart a market and then be gone for six years with nothing to replace it.&quot;<span style="display: none; ">&nbsp;</span></p>
</blockquote>
<p>
&quot;This is a huge, huge market,&quot; said Chuck Hendrix, a former Six Flags executive who managed AstroWorld. He now serves as&nbsp;CEO of Innovation Leisure Partners, the group slated to manage Grand Texas Theme Park.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
&quot;Never before have you had a major theme park depart a market and then be gone for six years with nothing to replace it,&quot; Hendrix continued.</p>
<p style="text-align: left; ">
Cost estimates for the theme park were <a href="http://houston.culturemap.com/news/city_life/02-20-13-new-theme-park-near-houston-plans-to-bring-roller-coasters-and-cow-milking-together/">first anticipated</a> near the $205 million mark, including four dining establishments, a 200- to 400-room hotel plus two limited-service hotels, a reception hall, a chapel, the Big Rivers Water Park, a paintball arena and an amphitheater for live music.</p>
<p style="text-align: left; ">
Judging by the enthusiasm of the park&#39;s <a href="https://www.facebook.com/GrandTexas?fref=ts">Facebook fans</a>,&nbsp;those amenities will be well received.&nbsp;</p>
A shakeup at a major Houston restaurant puts a Walt Disney exec in charge2013-07-08T14:28:11-05:00Whitney Radleyhttp://houston.culturemap.com/news/restaurants-bars/07-08-13-a-shakeup-at-a-major-houston-restaurant-puts-a-walt-disney-exec-in-charge/
<img src="/thumbnail/350x350/photos/2013/07/08/Dallas-Easterly-Philippe-general-manager-July-2013-head-shot_133339.jpg" alt="" class="right" style="float: right; margin: 0 0 1em 1em;" align="right" hspace="15"/>
<p>
A quiet shuffle has taken place at <a href="http://www.philippehouston.com">Philippe Restaurant + Lounge</a>, the upscale BLVD Place eatery from chef Philippe Schmit.&nbsp;CultureMap has learned that industry veteran&nbsp;<a href="http://www.philippehouston.com/about/team/chris-fannin/">Chris Fannin</a>&nbsp;is out as general manager&nbsp;and director of operations at Philippe effective June 14.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
On deck is longtime hospitality professional and native Houstonian&nbsp;<a href="http://www.philippehouston.com/about/team/dallas-easterly/">Dallas Easterly</a>, whose curriculum vitae includes stints with Walt Disney World as well as luxury hotels, restaurants, entertainment venues and theme parks on land and sea.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
&quot;Chris Fannin has been an integral part of the Philippe family since our opening in 2010. He has helped guide the restaurant to what is today, setting in place a service team of some of the best talent in the industry,&quot; Schmit&nbsp;told CultureMap in a statement. &quot;Although we are sad to see him leave, we know he is excited about returning to his roots in steakhouse dining with his new role at the soon-to-open Capital Grille in CityCentre. We wish him all the best!&quot;</p>
Rick Perry's reign over Texas is finally ending: His future? Only one powerful being knows2013-07-08T14:09:30-05:00Whitney Radleyhttp://houston.culturemap.com/news/city-life/07-08-13-rick-perrys-reign-over-texas-is-set-to-finally-end-his-future-only-one-powerful-being-knows/
<img src="/thumbnail/350x350/photos/2012/12/19/Rick_Perry_serious.jpg" alt="" class="right" style="float: right; margin: 0 0 1em 1em;" align="right" hspace="15"/>
<p>
Rick Perry billed his Monday press conference as one that would reveal &quot;exciting future plans&quot; for the longest-serving Texas governor, but the revelation wasn&#39;t so much plans as . . . lack of them.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
&quot;I remain excited about the future and the challenges ahead, but the time has come to pass on the mantle of leadership. Today I am announcing I will not seek re-election as&nbsp;governor of Texas,&quot; said Perry, who&nbsp;selected a&nbsp;San Antonio Caterpillar equipment dealership owned by major donor Peter Holt as the backdrop for his declaration &mdash; the&nbsp;<a href="http://The Caterpillar dealership he announced his plans at is the same place he announced his re-election bid for a third term in 2009.">same spot</a>&nbsp;where he announced his third term reelection bid in 2009.&nbsp;</p>
<div>
&quot;I will spend the next 18 months working to create more jobs, opportunity and innovation. I will actively lead this great state,&quot; Perry continued, pointing to job growth and sustained state revenue as proof that &quot;Texas works.&quot;
<p>
As for what the future holds, the longest-serving governor in Texas history (Perry has been in office since December 2000) held his cards tight.&nbsp;&quot;Any future considerations I will announce in due time,&quot; he said, acknowledging that he would &quot;pray and reflect and work to determine [his] future path.&quot;</p>
<p>
This step-down allows the first open race for the governorship &mdash; a position that Perry called &quot;the greatest job in modern politics&quot; &mdash; since 1990. Some speculate that <a href="https://www.oag.state.tx.us">Attorney General Greg Abbott</a> is the favorite to replace him in January 2015.</p>
</div>
<p>
&nbsp;</p>
Houston gets its own 28-foot-tall version of the Hollywood sign2013-07-08T12:13:20-05:00Whitney Radleyhttp://houston.culturemap.com/news/city-life/07-08-13-houston-gets-its-own-28-foot-tall-version-of-the-hollywood-sign/
<img src="/thumbnail/350x350/photos/2013/07/08/We-Heart-Houston-David-Adickes-sculpture_101657.jpg" alt="" class="right" style="float: right; margin: 0 0 1em 1em;" align="right" hspace="15"/>
<p>
Visitors arriving via Houston&#39;s notoriously congested freeways will have no reason to doubt residents&#39; dedication to the city &mdash; it will be spelled right out for them in&nbsp;<em>We Love Houston</em>,&nbsp;courtesy of local sculptor and longtime resident <a href="http://houston.culturemap.com/news/entertainment/08-01-12-an-85-year-old-artist-returns-to-high-school-david-adickes-reinvents-himself-in-a-unique-space/">David Adickes</a>.</p>
<p>
Though the 28-foot-tall sculpture is a recent addition to the Bayou City skyline, it&#39;s not altogether new. It stood outside of&nbsp;the artist&#39;s Target-adjacent&nbsp;<a href="http://atlasobscura.com/place/david-adickes-sculpture-gallery">SculpturWorx</a>&nbsp;studio for more than two years awaiting construction completion along I-10 near Chester Street.</p>
<blockquote class="pull-quote">
<p>
<span style="display: none; ">&nbsp;</span>&quot;I&#39;m hoping this will become an iconic image of Houston.&quot;<span style="display: none; ">&nbsp;</span></p>
</blockquote>
<p>
That property, which&nbsp;Adickes owns, was&nbsp;initially slated for his <a href="http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&amp;id=5376526">concrete statues of The Beatles</a>, but he thought those 36-foot-tall sculptures were &quot;too large&quot; for the spot.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
&quot;The most obvious comparison is the Hollywood sign,&quot; Adickes <a href="http://houston.culturemap.com/news/city_life/01-31-11-david-adickes-aims-for-a-houston-icon-with-love/">explained to CultureMap</a> in Feb. 2011 of the lettered sign, also referencing Milton Glaser&#39;s iconic &quot;I &hearts; NY&quot; symbol as inspiration. &quot;I wanted &#39;we&#39; instead of &#39;I&#39; because it&#39;s a shared experience. We all love Houston, don&#39;t we?&quot;</p>
<p>
A formal dedication ceremony will be held on Friday, with Mayor Annise Parker and other dignitaries in attendance.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
&quot;It&#39;s just a big, festive sign,&quot; Adickes&nbsp;said. &quot;I&#39;m hoping this will become an iconic image of Houston.&quot;</p>
Katsuya suddenly closes to make way for a hot new local restaurant2013-07-05T12:44:18-05:00Chris Baldwinhttp://houston.culturemap.com/news/restaurants-bars/07-05-13-katsuya-suddenly-closes-to-make-way-for-a-hot-new-local-restaurant/
<img src="/thumbnail/350x350/photos/2012-04-16/Katsuya_Houston_private_dining_room.jpg" alt="" class="right" style="float: right; margin: 0 0 1em 1em;" align="right" hspace="15"/>
<p>
Katsuya&nbsp;&mdash; the hot sushi restaurant in West Ave that stood out as a favorite of pro athletes and scene setters alike &mdash; has closed, clearing the way for another high-end restaurant to take over its coveted space.</p>
<p>
Sources tell&nbsp;CultureMap&nbsp;that the shuttering has nothing to do with the dramatic restaurant&#39;s culinary success &mdash; the swanky LA-import didn&#39;t lack buzz or crowds. Instead the restaurant is closing because of disagreements between its partners. This move was apparently in the works for months.</p>
<p>
Master sushi chef <a href="http://oceandrive.com/personalities/articles/sam-nazarians-future-view-of-miami">Katsuya Uechi</a>&nbsp;&mdash; who built the celebrity-beloved sushi concept in LA, Miami and San Diego &mdash; no longer wanted to be involved with the Houston project, according to our sources. Instead, the local&nbsp;GEG Group involved in Katsuya has turned to Korean chef Donald Chang &mdash; the man behind Uptown Sushi, Nara and Bluefin&nbsp;&mdash; to helm a new restaurant in the space.</p>
<blockquote class="pull-quote">
<p>
<span style="display: none; ">&nbsp;</span>Katsuya&#39;s most striking features &mdash; its much buzzed over Philippe&nbsp;Starck&nbsp;design &mdash; will get a complete makeover from&nbsp;architect Isaac&nbsp;Preminger.&nbsp;<span style="display: none; ">&nbsp;</span></p>
</blockquote>
<p>
A new version of Nara is now slated to open in the Katsuya spot this fall.</p>
<p>
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been waiting for the right time to do this,&rdquo; Chang said in a statement. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve seen restaurants around town feature one or two Korean items on their menu. I want to give the full inspired menu while blending it with my Japanese cooking background to create an experience like none other in this city.&rdquo;</p>
<p>
Chang grew up in Seoul, South Korea and he&#39;s been in Houston for 37 years.</p>
<p>
Katsuya&#39;s most striking features &mdash; its much buzzed over Philippe Starck design &mdash; will get a complete makeover from&nbsp;architect Isaac Preminger. The goal is to make the restaurant a more comfortable space, one where the chefs will be put on center stage and be visible to diners. An outdoor patio and a Bun Bar also will be created.</p>
<p>
The dramatics aren&#39;t completely going away either. A large&nbsp;Sakura tree made from petrified wood and hand-made pink silk leaves will greet diners at Nara&#39;s entrance.</p>
<p>
But it&#39;s still quite a change from Katsuya.</p>
<p>
The LA import had a hype-filled opening in <a href="http://www.westaveriveroaks.com/">West Ave</a> last year. Starck laid out its interior <a href="http://houston.culturemap.com/news/home_design/02-06-12-katsuya-unveils-an-interior-space-as-unique-as-its-cuisine/">like a bento box</a> to create interlocking private dining spaces, a complement to the sushi and robata offerings that&nbsp;<a href="http://houston.culturemap.com/news/food/03-12-12-14-38-dont-judge-katsuya-by-its-pretty-cover-this-is-serious-sushi/">promised to be</a> Japanese cuisine shaped for an American palate.</p>
<p>
With Chang, the emphasis could be returning more to the food rather than the scene.&nbsp;</p>
Rice University tuition deemed inexpensive: Houston's Ivy League worthy college makes Best Buy list2013-07-04T08:32:00-05:00Whitney Radleyhttp://houston.culturemap.com/news/city-life/07-04-13-rice-university-tuition-deemed-inexpensive-houstons-ivy-league-worthy-college-makes-best-buy-list/
<img src="/thumbnail/350x350/photos/2015/07/31/Preservation-Houston-Walking-Tour-Rice-University-Architecture_135701.jpg" alt="" class="right" style="float: right; margin: 0 0 1em 1em;" align="right" hspace="15"/>
<p>
No stranger to bang-for-your-buck accolades, Rice University has been&nbsp;<a href="http://news.rice.edu/2013/07/02/rice-a-best-buy-in-2014-fiske-college-guide/">named</a> one of 20 &quot;Best Buy&quot; private schools in the United States, according to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.fiskeguide.com">Fiske Guide to Colleges</a>.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
The 2014 ranking was based on&nbsp;academic rating, a tuition price in the inexpensive-to-moderate range and quality of on-campus student life.</p>
<p>
Rice is praised as being &quot;one of the few elite private colleges that keeps tuition relatively affordable&quot; while staying &quot;true to its mission of providing unsurpassed programs in science, engineering, the arts and humanities &mdash; with a price tag families can afford.&quot;</p>
<p>
The guide also praises the football team (really) and a spirited student body (they must have heard about <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rice_University#Baker_13">Baker 13</a>) for bonus factors.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
<a href="http://www.trinity.edu">Trinity University</a> in San Antonio also earned a spot on the list of private &quot;Best Buy&quot; schools while on the public side of things, the <a href="http://www.utexas.edu">University of Texas at Austin</a> and <a href="http://www.tamu.edu/">Texas A&amp;M University</a> took top spots.</p>
Wendy Davis is just too damn buxom to be real! Critics call her Human Barbie Doll2013-07-03T16:41:34-05:00Whitney Radleyhttp://houston.culturemap.com/news/city-life/07-03-13-wendy-davis-is-just-too-damn-buxom-to-be-real-critics-call-her-human-barbie-doll/
<img src="/thumbnail/350x350/photos/2013/09/13/State-Sen.-Wendy-Davis_170605.jpg" alt="" class="right" style="float: right; margin: 0 0 1em 1em;" align="right" hspace="15"/>
<p>
Following a high-profile filibuster on the hot-button abortion issue, Fort Worth Sen.&nbsp;<a href="http://www.davis.senate.state.tx.us">Wendy Davis</a> has been launched into the national political spotlight &mdash; which comes with inevitable personal attacks and speculation.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
Most recently, an&nbsp;anonymous WordPress blogger&nbsp;<a href="http://realwendydavis.wordpress.com">took a closer look</a>&nbsp;at the &quot;Real Wendy Davis&quot; and concluded that &quot;the Left&#39;s new feminist superhero&quot; is no more than a &quot;Human Barbie Doll.&quot;</p>
<blockquote class="pull-quote">
<p>
<span style="display: none; ">&nbsp;</span>Surely this is satire. Right?&nbsp;<span style="display: none; ">&nbsp;</span></p>
</blockquote>
<p>
&quot;Somehow, during the past two decades she has been transformed from a frumpy, pleasant looking but plain-faced, flat-chested brunette with thick, messy hair, into a buxom blonde with excellent facial features and sleek, long, perfectly&nbsp;coiffed&nbsp;hair, like she stepped straight out of Vogue,&quot; notes the conservative blogger, who is apparently unable to see the 50-year-old politician&#39;s accomplishments through her breasts and her shiny locks.</p>
<p>
Pointing to black and white yearbook photos from&nbsp;Texas Christian University and Harvard Law School, where Davis graduated with honors in May 1993, the blogger implies that Davis has &quot;a plastic surgeon on retainer&quot; and overlooks the obvious fact that the nineties&nbsp;<a href="http://www.trutv.com/dumb_as_a_blog/gallery/awesomely-dumb-90s-celebrity-hair.html">weren&#39;t friendly to anyone</a>.</p>
<p>
&quot;For someone who in the early&nbsp;1990s&nbsp;was a feminist activist in law school, and who is currently posing as a champion of women&#39;s rights, standing up to men who seek to dictate the way women should live, she seems to have devoted an unusual amount of attention to her physical appearance,&quot; the post reads.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
Surely this is satire. Right?</p>
<p>
It&#39;s certainly drawn national attention, with publications ranging from <a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2013/07/02/the_real_wendy_davis_web_site_exposes_that_the_texas_state_senator_used.html">Slate</a> to Esquire to the Austin Chronicle taking on the post.</p>
Stuck Up City? Houston named the snobbiest city in Texas — seriously2013-07-03T12:40:48-05:00Whitney Radleyhttp://houston.culturemap.com/news/city-life/07-03-13-stuck-up-city-houston-named-the-snobbiest-city-in-texas-seriously/
<img src="/thumbnail/350x350/photos/2013/05/29/Houston-downtown-skyline-buildings-at-night-May-2013_100928.jpg" alt="" class="right" style="float: right; margin: 0 0 1em 1em;" align="right" hspace="15"/>
<p>
When I made the move from Austin to Houston almost two years ago, I noticed a marked difference in the way people presented themselves here. Cutoffs didn&#39;t seem appropriate attire even at the most casual Tex-Mex joints, I was embarrassed to pass over the keys of my beat up Honda to the valet and a swipe of mascara seemed necessary for even early morning trips to my neighborhood Fiesta.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
I have since acclimated nicely to the Bayou City&#39;s more refined scene, but apparently visitors feel that it&#39;s a bit too effete. Houston landed a spot on&nbsp;the list of <a href="http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/americas-snobbiest-cities">America&#39;s Snobbiest&nbsp;Cities</a>.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
That ranking was determined by Travel + Leisure readers based on results from the annual <a href="https://travelandleisure.roiresearch.com/Survey/Index/34">America&#39;s Favorite Cities survey</a>.&nbsp;The magazine factored in features like the reputation of residents&#39; attitudes; the prevalence of high end retail stores and highbrow cultural offerings; plus &quot;21st-century definitions of elitism&quot; like &quot;tech-savviness, artisanal coffeehouses and a conspicuous eco-consciousness.&quot;</p>
<blockquote class="pull-quote">
<p>
<span style="display: none; ">&nbsp;</span>Austin took No. 19 on the list for its &quot;brainy, offbeat vibe.&quot; Dallas somehow didn&#39;t make it.&nbsp;<span style="display: none; ">&nbsp;</span></p>
</blockquote>
<p>
It was a &quot;combination of a rich arts tradition and luxury shopping&quot; spots like Abejas, Dao Chloe Dao and Pinto Ranch &mdash; and knock-off designer fashion from <a href="http://www.visithoustontexas.com/shopping/harwin/">Harwin Drive</a>&nbsp;for the <a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=thirty%20thousandaire">thirty thousandaires</a>&nbsp;&mdash;&nbsp;that earned Houston the No. 17 spot on the list.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
(Don&#39;t agree? You&#39;re not alone. The Black Sheep Agency, a Houston-based marketing agency and creative group, is making a pretty compelling case otherwise on Twitter &mdash; follow their arguments at <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23snobbynotsnobby&amp;src=hash">#snobbynotsnobby</a>.)</p>
<p>
San Francisco ranked No. 1 overall, followed by New York and Boston. Minneapolis/St. Paul took No. 4 on the list, thanks to the &quot;bookish, indie-music-loving, craft-beer-drinking hipsters&quot; that call the Twin Cities home.&nbsp;Austin took No. 19 on the list for its &quot;brainy, offbeat vibe.&quot; Dallas somehow didn&#39;t make it.</p>
Houston high school for sale triggers a $40 million-plus bidding war: Who will blink first?2013-07-03T11:18:35-05:00Whitney Radleyhttp://houston.culturemap.com/news/real-estate/07-03-13-houston-high-school-for-sale-triggers-a-40-million-plus-bidding-war-who-will-blink-first/
<img src="/thumbnail/350x350/photos/2013/06/03/High-School-ForLaw-Enforcement-and-Criminal-Justice-building-and-sign-Houston_132940.jpg" alt="" class="right" style="float: right; margin: 0 0 1em 1em;" align="right" hspace="15"/>
<p>
When the Houston Independent School District&#39;s High School for Law Enforcement &amp; Criminal Justice went on the market after the 2012-13 school year, <a href="http://sths.org">St. Thomas High School</a> &mdash; which borders LECJ&nbsp;to the south &mdash; <a href="http://houston.culturemap.com/news/realestate/06-04-13-a-houston-high-school-goes-up-for-sale-putting-a-prime-chunk-of-real-estate-on-the-market/">promised to make</a> a &quot;competitive bid&quot; on the prime property.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
But <a href="http://www.theleadernews.com/?p=10582">The Leader reports</a> that a mysterious, recently-formed private company has other plans for the 10.9-acre site. <a href="http://www.corporationwiki.com/Texas/Houston/av-dickson-street-llc/137584877.aspx">AV Dickson Street, LLC</a>, which&nbsp;formed just days before the first bid deadline was due to HISD, put in a $40 million bid on the campus.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
That was the minimum offer requested by the school district on the property, which&nbsp;was last appraised for $26 million in the Harris County tax rolls.</p>
<p>
An HISD representative told The Leader that St. Thomas officials countered with an offer of $40,000,100 in hopes of growing the size of the private, all-boys Catholic school&#39;s existing 17-acre campus. Yep, just $100 over AV Dickson Street&#39;s initial bid.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
And thus commences the war for the&nbsp;LECJ&nbsp;property.&nbsp;Offers for the second round of bidding are due to HISD by next Monday.</p>
Houston's most prominent beer man is on a mission for his daughter — and the result is a new Feast2013-07-03T09:48:00-05:00Whitney Radleyhttp://houston.culturemap.com/news/restaurants-bars/07-03-13-houstons-most-prominent-beer-man-is-on-a-mission-for-his-daughter-and-the-result-is-a-new-feast/
<img src="/thumbnail/350x350/photos/2011-01-05/Brock_Wagner_Saint_Arnold.jpg" alt="" class="right" style="float: right; margin: 0 0 1em 1em;" align="right" hspace="15"/>
<p>
&quot;We get involved in things that we care about, and then we try to rationalize some sort of business purpose,&quot; Brock Wagner says of Saint Arnold Brewing Company&#39;s support of community causes.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
But for the annual <a href="http://www.saintarnold.com/news/index.html#feast">Feast of Saint Arnold</a>, the beneficiary is especially personal: Several years ago,&nbsp;Wagner&#39;s daughter was diagnosed with <a href="http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/ulcerative-colitis/DS00598‎">Ulcerative Colitis</a>, which led to his understanding of how little was known about the disease &mdash; and how many people suffer from it.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
The proceeds from the event will bolster research efforts for <a href="http://www.texaschildrens.org/Locate/Departments-and-Services/Digestive-Disorders/Pediatric-GI-Clinics/Inflammatory-Bowel-Disease-Center/">Texas Children&#39;s Hospital&#39;s Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center</a> and in programs like <a href="http://www.texaschildrens.org/Locate/Departments-and-Services/Digestive-Disorders/For-Patients-and-Their-Families/Camps/">Camp Survived It All</a>, a summer camp for juvenile gastrointestinal patients.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
&quot;I&#39;m known for having gallows humor,&quot; laughs Wagner, who tells CultureMap that the irony of a gut-busting beer dinner benefiting GI research isn&#39;t lost on him. &quot;But we are sensitive to people&#39;s appetites. We won&#39;t play up the shock value at the actual feast.&quot;</p>
<p>
The menu features dishes from Scott Castell, the executive chef at Landry&#39;s who has been involved since the Feast&#39;s inception, as well as Saint Arnold&#39;s in-house&nbsp;executive chef Ryan Savoie, and includes four courses plus hors d&#39;oeuvres and dessert, all accompanied by regular beers and special edition suds from Texas&#39; oldest craft brewery, including&nbsp;DR12, DR13 and a Barrel Aged Brett Old Ale with Cherries.</p>
<p>
There are still a <a href="http://www.saintarnold.com/news/index.html#feast">handful of seats</a>&nbsp;available for the Feast of Saint Arnold, which takes place on July 14 from 5 to 8:30 p.m. in The Great Hall at Saint Arnold Brewing Company. Tickets are $100 per person and all inclusive.</p>
Uchi chefs take the beer dinner to the next level — and other Houston restaurants are following2013-07-03T07:04:00-05:00Whitney Radleyhttp://houston.culturemap.com/news/restaurants-bars/07-03-13-uchi-chefs-take-the-beer-dinner-to-the-next-level-and-other-houston-restaurants-are-following/
<img src="/thumbnail/350x350/photos/2013/07/01/Uchi-beer-dinner-Kaz-Edwards-local-Houston-craft-brewers_164924.JPG" alt="" class="right" style="float: right; margin: 0 0 1em 1em;" align="right" hspace="15"/>
<p>
Whereas wine tastings call to mind white tablecloths and polished crystal, the more recently-popularized beer dinner seems inherently casual at its core. But don&#39;t get the wrong idea: Even when suds are served out of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.solocup.com/‎">Solo Cups</a>, this genre can be an elevated affair.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
Take the most recent iteration of the Blaffer Art Museum-benefiting&nbsp;<a href="http://www.blafferartmuseum.org/feast-a-dinner-series/">Feast: A Dinner Series</a>, where Uchi chefs Philip&nbsp;Speer&nbsp;and&nbsp;Kaz&nbsp;Edwards collaborated with artist&nbsp;<a href="http://www.mfah.org/fellowships/core-program/core-artists-residence/">Miguel&nbsp;Amat</a>&nbsp;and a bevy of local craft brewers to create a complex culinary masterpiece. &nbsp;</p>
<p>
Edwards tells&nbsp;CultureMap that the flavors and intensity at the start and finish of each beer is the most important element of a beer dinner. Since attendees typically take a sip at the beginning and end of each dish, the interplay of beer between courses becomes almost as important as the exchange with the dish itself.&nbsp;</p>
<blockquote class="pull-quote">
<p>
<span style="display: none; ">&nbsp;</span>Even when suds are served out of&nbsp;Solo Cups, the newly-popularized beer dinner can be an elevated affair.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>
<span style="display: none; ">&nbsp;</span>&quot;We want the beer to highlight the food rather than overpower it,&quot; says Edwards, who found fitting matches from Houston-based craft brewers like&nbsp;<a href="http://www.buffbrew.com">Buffalo Bayou Brewing Company</a>&nbsp;and Saint Arnold Brewing Company.&nbsp;&quot;They&#39;re all artists in their own field.&quot;</p>
<p>
Some approached the challenge by tailoring flavors to the cuisine: The guys behind&nbsp;<a href="http://8thwonderbrew.com">8th Wonder Brewery</a>&nbsp;infused their&nbsp;Intellectuale with yuzu, an Asian citrus fruit, to create a perfect partner for a&nbsp;white peach gazpacho from Speer and Edwards. Their <a href="http://8thwonderbrew.com/brews/alternate-universe-altbier">Alternate Universe</a>, meanwhile, was joined with cold brewed coffee and house chocolate syrup for pairing with dessert.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
&quot;I thought it would be nice to give the chefs some extremes to work around,&quot; David Graham with <a href="http://www.karbachbrewing.com">Karbach Brewing Company</a>&nbsp;says. He selected the Hopadillo&nbsp;IPA (ideal for fattier dishes, like the Wagyu tartar on the nine-course menu) and the Love Street Summer Seasonal K&ouml;lsch, which Graham cals a &quot;delicate reception beer.&quot;</p>
<p>
Want to discover the complexities for yourself? Haven chef Randy Evans and Jean Philippe Gaston of Cove Cold Bar are partnering with Eatsie Boy Matt Marcus on an&nbsp;<a href="http://havenhouston.com/special_events/8thwonder_beer_dinner.html">8th Wonder Beer Dinner at Haven</a> on July 24.</p>
New gourmet hot dog restaurant springs from a food truck: And it's craft beer friendly2013-07-02T16:51:21-05:00Whitney Radleyhttp://houston.culturemap.com/news/restaurants-bars/07-02-13-new-gourmet-hot-dog-restaurant-springs-from-a-food-truck-and-its-craft-beer-friendly/
<img src="/thumbnail/350x350/photos/2011-04-12/food_trucks_Good_Dog_Hot_Dogs.jpg" alt="" class="right" style="float: right; margin: 0 0 1em 1em;" align="right" hspace="15"/>
<p>
&#39;Tis&nbsp;clearly the season for food trucks to go brick and mortar. Following the lead of The&nbsp;Eatsie Boys,&nbsp;Goro &amp; Gun (n&eacute;e The Modular) and others that have made the leap, Good Dog&nbsp;Hot Dogs&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/GoodDogHouston/status/350815710072680449">hinted last Friday</a> that it would soon be sitting on solid ground. And it&#39;s now been confirmed.</p>
<p>
Owners Daniel Caballero and Amalia Pferd have leased the Studewood Street&nbsp;bungalow left vacant by <a href="http://thebigmamou.com">The Big Mamou</a> when it closed in February, just a few blocks north of the&nbsp;<a href="http://houston.culturemap.com/news/food/07-01-13-no-fear-new-taco-restaurant-becomes-the-latest-to-take-on-cursed-heights-space/">soon-to-come</a>&nbsp;Yucatan Taco Stand, as first reported by&nbsp;<a href="http://houston.eater.com/archives/2013/07/01/good-dogs-food-truck-sits-for-heights-brick-mortar.php">Eater</a>.</p>
<p>
The pair said that they plan to make a few cosmetic changes and add refrigeration equipment and a draft beer cooler before they open to the public in time for football season&#39;s&nbsp;September start. Expect <a href="http://gooddogfoodtruck.com/menu/">menu items</a> on top of their signature gourmet &#39;dogs and simple sides, as well as a rotating selection of Texas craft beers and wines.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
In the meantime, the Good Dog food truck will roll out these next few months only for caterings, events and occasional pop up shifts, with a more regular road schedule slated for the future.</p>
Name Houston's fake space shuttle!? Consolation prize now touted by a snubbed Space City2013-07-02T14:28:27-05:00Whitney Radleyhttp://houston.culturemap.com/news/city-life/07-02-13-name-houstons-fake-space-shuttle-consolation-prize-now-touted-by-a-snubbed-space-city/
<img src="/thumbnail/350x350/photos/2013/07/02/Johnson-Space-Center-shuttle-replica-program_130222.png" alt="" class="right" style="float: right; margin: 0 0 1em 1em;" align="right" hspace="15"/>
<p>
Undeterred by getting snubbed in the space shuttle shuffle, <a href="http://spacecenter.org">Space Center Houston</a> &mdash; the official visitor center of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/home/index.html">Johnson Space Center</a>&nbsp;&mdash; received a<strong>&nbsp;</strong>high-fidelity shuttle replica (<a href="http://houston.culturemap.com/news/city_life/06-01-12-14-27-oh-what-a-sight-shuttle-replica-makes-its-way-to-johnson-space-center/">formerly known as</a>&nbsp;the Explorer) last summer as the centerpiece of its &quot;The Shuttle and 747 Carrier&quot; exhibit.&nbsp;</p>
<p style="text-align: left; ">
Now that the shuttle&#39;s base, a modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, has also arrived, it&#39;s time for the faux shuttle to get a new name. And the Space Center is <a href="http://hobbyspace.com/Blog/?p=3065">giving Texans</a> the opportunity to choose it.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
The statewide <a href="http://www.nametheshuttle.com">Name the Shuttle</a>&nbsp;contest will launch Thursday at 10 a.m. and run through Sept. 2 at noon. Residents are encouraged to &quot;submit an original name that symbolizes the spirit of Texas and its unique characteristics of independence, optimism and can-do attitude.&quot; Not that the attitude was enough to land Houston one of the coveted four <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/13/science/space/13shuttle.html">retired space shuttles</a> that actually went into space.</p>
<p>
Still, Space Center Houston has reached the halfway point in the $12 million campaign to build the outdoor shuttle complex, and is accepting (tax deductible) gifts from individual and corporate donors.</p>
<p>
When the exhibit opens in&nbsp;Feb. 2015, it will be the first ever to allow visitor access inside of the 747 Carrier and the full-scale shuttle model.</p>